210reaper ᛑᛗᛛ

Photo portfolio: flickr.com/photos/armisti… Video portfolio: youtube.com/playlist?list=…

Restored to 4k Archive Footage from May 2, 1980, of F-14 Tomcats and friends off the deck of the USS Nimitz as she participated in NATO exercise Open Gate near the coast of Portugal while heading home after a 270-day deployment. The nuclear-powered supercarrier had spent 144 straight days at sea in the Indian Ocean on Gonzo Station supporting operations during the Iran hostage crisis, including the failed Eagle Claw rescue attempt in April. She wrapped the exercise on May 9 then continued across the Atlantic, arriving in Norfolk on May 26 for a major homecoming.

U.S. Navy just dropped one of the most insane images of the Artemis II rescue mission

Possibly the best unboxing video on the internet

Here are 4k+ versions of the shots I released today, both high-res mosaics. The moon was captured after the historic flyby from my backyard, and the launch was captured using sound-activated triggers on cameras near the launch pad. I thought they made a nice pair :)

I've made a career of photographing the moon for the last 7 years. Shooting it this morning felt different somehow. Like the moon has changed.

おおー、アルテミス計画の公式書体 Artemis Inter がダウンロード可能。 nasa-external-ocomm.app.box.com/s/ig7cyneubc93…

This photo has a very personal meaning for me if you care to read it. I saw a photo from @johnkrausphotos on reddit nearly a decade ago of the engines on a Falcon Heavy launch. I was working at a tough sales job at the time. The shot inspired me to learn more about space and spaceflight. Shortly after, I bought my first telescope. I saw Jupiter, Saturn, and Nebulae, and started social media accounts where I shared my amateur photos. Then I was laid off, and Covid happened. Moved from Sacramento to Arizona for clearer skies, cheaper cost of living, and a chance to go all-in on space photography. My audience started to grow. Then, NASA contacted me, asking me if they could use some of my moon photos for something called Artemis. I said yes. During the Artemis I rollout my DMs blew up “Andrew- your photo is on the Mobile Launch Platform!”. Now I knew that astrophotography wasn’t enough… I should probably pay attention to spaceflight. I spent a lot coming out to the first launch attempt, which would be my first rocket launch if it flew. Sadly, it was a scrub. I came home from Florida, sharing my stories of touring the VAB and facilities with my grandfather, who worked on Apollo. He passed shortly after, which affected my ability to return to watch the SLS flew. Feeling bummed out, I focused back on my deep sky work, but then I started hearing about something called “Starship”. I caught a video from @Erdayastronaut where a rocket ship fell through the air belly-first and flipped upright and landed. Inspired, I knew I had to witness one of these machines fly, so I flew to Starbase the moment I could afford it, which was for the second fully integrated flight test. The moment Starship lifted off the pad, I was hooked. There was nothing quite like the experience. I did everything I could to catch every launch I could, and worked to become credentialed media to get better access. Last year I flew from Arizona to Florida & Texas over a dozen times specifically to sharpen my launch photography skills with our first human spaceflight to the moon in over 50 years looming. A decade of preparation for a split second moment. When I picked up my camera from the launch pad yesterday morning and peeked at what was captured, I knew it was all worth it. Thank you, NASA, Artemis, and the all people who inspired me along the way. This is still only the beginning.

Hell yeah

THEY RELEASED THE ORION LIFTOFF FOOTAGE

ARTEMIS II AS SEEN BY THE OFFICIAL NASA CESSNA THIS IS THE BEST LAUNCH VIDEO AND IT ISN'T CLOSE

AMAZE AMAZE AMAZE #artemis

We got 3 of 4! Only one remote camera failed, but the results from all the others more than make up for it! Below, I've listed all the specifications and settings from each photo:

I was scrolling through NASA's images of Artemis II and found a shot of liftoff from that inconic angle used for Saturn V/IB launches. Wow.

This is the shot you can’t get from the press site. This camera was sitting a few football fields from the SLS rocket at Pad 39B for days before launch, baking in the Florida sun, surviving rain, humidity, and whatever else the Cape threw at it. No photographer behind the viewfinder. Just a camera, a sound trigger, and a bet. The way pad remotes work: you set your camera up days in advance, dial in your composition, lock everything down, and walk away. You don’t touch it again until after the launch. The shutter fires on sound activation with a @MiopsTrigger smart+ trigger. With SLS, the four RS-25 engines ignite six seconds before the solid rocket boosters, so the camera is already firing before the vehicle even leaves the pad. You get home, pull the card, and find out if you nailed it or if a bird landed on your lens two days ago and left your a present and you got 400 photos of soemthing crappy. There’s no formula for protecting your gear this close. Some photographers build wooden boxes with doors that pop open. Some use plastic bags and tape. Some do plastic or metal barn door rigs on hinges. I tend to leave mine open just in plastic rain covers because boxes limit my composition and setup time, but that means your cameras are more exposed to the elements and whatever energy and debris comes off the pad. You’re basically gambling a camera body every time you set one. That’s what I love about this genre. There’s no playbook. You make it up as you go. Every time is an adventure. 📸 credit: me for @SuperclusterHQ - Artemis II pad remote | ~1,000 ft from Pad 39B | Kennedy Space Center

Liftoff of Artemis II

15 years separate these photos

I know I’m late, but… Godspeed Artemis II.

8.8 Million Pounds of thrust powering SLS off the pad for Artemis II, returning Humans to the Moon